Thanks for being with us today. First, would you tell us a bit about yourself? What area of the country do you live in, do you have a family, pets, etc.

I live on the Atlantic Coast of Canada with my husband and daughter. We also have a rambunctious three-year old Yellow Labrador.

Are you a coffee fiend, or do you have another “addiction” you must have on your desk at all times?

I don’t drink coffee or tea, but my go-to caffeine addiction is hot chocolate. I have a cup of hot chocolate every day, and my favorite is flavoured white hot chocolate.

Is your education relevant to your writing, or have you branched off in something entirely different to create?

I studied administration in school and followed that path in my career, which led to a position as Director of Administration and Marketing. My writing stemmed from English classes when we had to write essays on books.

How would you best describe your books?

Contemporary Sweet Romances.

Tell us about your most recent publication/whichever book you’d like to talk about today?

Cherry Red is about a woman who owns an ice cream business. Carly has no time in her life for a relationship…until Noah strides into her life and she is forced to pretend he is her boyfriend.

This summer, ice cream entrepreneur Carly Redd’s only focus is expanding her business—until she’s coerced into attending her ex’s engagement party. Showing up without a date is unthinkable. She reluctantly agrees to be escorted by her brother’s co-worker, although doing so breaks her rule of not dating firefighters.

The daughter of the town’s fire chief should wear a Do Not Touch sign, but firefighter Noah Harding’s interest blazed the moment he saw Carly. Agreeing to be her fake boyfriend is a no-brainer, but convincing Carly to trust him with her heart is harder than extinguishing a fire.

Overstepping the platonic-only rule is as dangerous as fire and ice swirling into a tempting combustion.

What inspired you to write this story?
When I learned my publisher was looking for ice cream stories to fit their One Scoop Or Two series, I thought about the perfect storyline to fit the theme.

What interesting thing did you learn or research to write it that you didn’t know before?

Researching ice cream was so much fun!

What’s your favorite thing about the book featured here today? Any special memories you have in the creation of it?

I love the characters I created from the main characters (Carly and Noah) to the whole cast. They were enjoyable to write about.

What do you most like about writing? Least like?

I like getting into the story and seeing the characters grow and interact. I don’t like editing. It’s painful and tedious.

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

I wrote a short story for my high school English class and enjoyed developing the plot and characters.

Is there any special music you like to listen to while writing? How does it inspire you?

I listen to the radio while writing. It’s on but not very loud. Music is very therapeutic.

Do you belong to a critique group? What do you find most valuable about the experience?
I am part of a beta group. I don’t know what I would do without their input.

To encourage those still on the path, tell us a little about your path to publication. How many books have you published? How many books did you write before selling one? What do you think was the key to selling that first book?

The main thing is to stay positive, even when rejections hit hard. The key to selling my first book was perfecting the writing craft – reading and learning as much as I could. Cherry Red is my eighth published book

What are you writing now? What’s next for you—will you be making personal appearances anywhere our readers can find you?
My ninth book, Finding Home Again, received a contract and is currently with the proof-reading department. Once proofing is done, it will be formatted, and I’ll receive a release date. I am writing book ten, which brings me back to Redford Falls.

Anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for the opportunity to share Cherry Red with your followers!

Bio: Darlene resides on the Atlantic Coast of Canada where the summers are too short, and the winters are too long. An avid reader since childhood, Darlene loved to develop the many stories coming to life in her head. She writes contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. When not working on her next book, she can be found with her husband, her daughter, and her yellow Labrador. Darlene’s favourite pastime is taking summer daytrips to the Valley to soak in the small-town feel.

This link will bring you to my website which has links to all distributing sites for my books. Universal Purchase Link: http://darlenefredette.blogspot.com/2021/04/my-books-purchase-links.html

Author Web Site: http://darlenefredette.blogspot.com/

Blog: http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Darlene-Fredette/e/B005NAF660/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarleneLF